Remember Me? - January 25th 2010

Remember Me? by Sophia Kinsella

Chosen by: Ryan

Location: Crave at the Galleria in Edina

Well, we are having another blizzard on bookclub night. I think the snow gods may have it out for us. Carolyn and Michelle were unable to make it tonight but the rest of us were there, including Kerry's sister Kate. This makes it Kate's second meeting...she is staying in MN for awhile helping Kerry out as she is currently an unemployed grad student and has the opportunity to hang with her nieces for a few months.

This was a fun night, lots of laughs and conversations really flowed. I didn't want to leave my girls ;o)

Most of us read the book and it was a quick beach type read, which helps us busy moms who don't have time to read the cereal box sitting in front of us some days, much less a novel. It is about Lexi, a girl who gets amnesia after a car accident and can't recall a moment of her last 3 years. In the hospital, she meets her eccentric and flighty mother, her sneaky smart alec little sister, and her greek-god looking husband (she can't remember even having a boyfriend). It is funny to think about this happening to you as you read this, if you missed 3 years. She goes on to be initially impressed with her fantasy type real life, but as she discovers more about her current life, she does not like the person she has become nor the people that she calls her friends. She misses her old friends that she has estranged and she has become a success hungry shallow person who somewhere lost who she really is. There is a man, of course, who she is involved with, that tells her they were in love and she was going to leave the ho-hum cold husband that she is with. It takes him awhile to convince her that he, in fact, knows the real Lexi and that she does still exist and that they were happy. I like a story with a happy ending when all the loose ends tie up. We all enjoyed the read.

The Book Thief - December 2009 - the 7th Annual Limo Light Tour

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Chosen by: Kelli

Location: Chino Latino in Uptown Mpls

Can't believe it's already time for another limo tour!!! We met at Chino Latino and all ordered small plates and shared. The food is so yummy there that you really can't go wrong. We all were able to make it this year which is thrilling!! The limo picked us up and away we went for another year of wine, giggles and crazy gawdy lights. Actually this year we toured some of the more classy neighborhoods. We jumped out for another picture on some random steps and when we got back to the restaurant, some of us just weren't quite ready to call it quits, so we went over to Calhoun Square and had some Bailey's and coffee and wound down the night.

This book was one of my favorites we have ever read from book club. At the time of the meeting, I had not finished it, only Christina and Kelli had, and they both really enjoyed it, but I did finish it over Christmas and I loved it! It was so unique and emotional and suspenseful, and I was sad when it was over. I kept thinking and thinking about it. Death narrates this WWII era story about a young girl, Leisel Meminger, and her tragic young life. She steals her first book, The Gravedigger's Handbook, at the cemetary where they leave the body of her younger brother, who died in front of her on a train. Her mother, sick, desperate and devastated, her husband already taken away by the communists, takes Leisel to live with a family in Molching, Germany. Her foster mother, Rosa, is harsh and shows her "tough love" while her foster father, Hans, is her rock. He is loving, and nurturing to this lost little girl, and he is "home" to her. Leisel wakes every night from nightmares about her brother and mother, and Hans gets up with her and sits through the night with her, teaching her to read from her stolen book. She goes on to steal a more books and they are her most prized possession. A big part of the story is Max, the Jewish young man that the family hides in their basement. I just can not even begin to imagine the terror, anger, pain, hunger and saddness that a person can take. The author does a great job at character development and brought me to tears several times as well as made my stomach physically nauseous. I love the way he portrayed Death as well. Death basically wasn't too bad of a guy and was just doing his job, which he felt really bad about most of the time. He talked about how busy he was during those years and he kept coming back to watch Leisel bec. she caught his attention when she stole the book from the cemetary. I loaned this book out to some friends, who loved it equally as much as I did, and I can't wait to get it back to read it again, if I can emotionally bring myself to do it. It takes a toll on a person. Good pick Kelli.

The Girls - October 26th 2009T

The Girls by Lori Lansens

Chosen by: Jessica

Location: Kona Grill in Eden Prairie

So, we haven't met in quite a while. There have been 2 babies born: Ryan had Quinn Caitlynn in May and Kerry had Stella Sarabeth in October. They are both very cute, healthy and happy and Stella came to her first meeting tonight and slept through most of it.

There has also been some great losses in bookclub since our last meeting.

Christina was expecting her second baby this fall, but there were complications beyond anyone's control, and Ezra Allen was born early in May and passed away a few hours later surrounded by his mommy and daddy's love. We can't begin to know what Jamie and Christina have been through this last year. Just know that our sisterhood is always here to listen and support you Christina, we love you.

Just recently, in September, Michelle's mom passed away from a long battle with lung cancer. Ryan and I were lucky enough to meet her on several occasions and she was an amazingly strong, funny and loving woman. Michelle, we love you too. You have been in our thoughts and we are always here.

I think most of us did read the book and liked it. It was a fictional story about twin girls, Ruby and Rose Darlen, who are conjoined at the head. Their birth mother abandoned them, so the nurse that delivered them, childless herself, takes them in and raises them, a blessing in their life. Aunt Lovey they call her. Lovey Darlen, what a name. Stash, her husband, is a Polish immigrant who has a great big heart and loves those girls. I think the author did a great job in developing these characters, because there were times I forgot that it was fiction. There is a situation in the book that a lot of us thought unnecessary and "cheapened" the story a bit. One of the girls get pregnant from an awkward and strange encounter with a local boy. They keep it a secret and give the baby up for adoption, but it haunts them always, esp. Rose, the one who was pregnant. As the book goes on, Rose and Ruby, being the oldest living twins conjoined at the head, decide to write their autobiography and that is how we learn about them individually. Quite clever.

We had a good discussion, good dinner and good company. I think this may be the first time in a LONG time that none of us are pregnant!!